Nollywood: Censors Board trains varsity students on film making

The National Film and Video Censors Board has conducted a training on films classification and creative capacity development for students of Theatre Arts and Music of Lagos State University. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the training conference that held from June 14 to 15, is tagged: “Youth Protection Through Media Literacy and Skills of Critical Thinking”. It is organised by NFVCB in collaboration with the Department of Theatre Arts and Music of the institution. Relevant stakeholders from the academia, as well as seasoned industry practitioners held different sessions for the young thespians at the Aderemi Makanjuola Lecture Theatre, LASU. NAN reports that veteran actors and scholars, Hafiz Oyetoro and Prof. Shola Fosudo, Head of the department, spoke at the event. Other resource persons included Prof. Ayo Akinwale, septuagenarian filmmaker Tunde Kelani and officials of the censors board. The students were taught basic dynamics of films and videos censorship and classification, creative and entrepreneurial skills, as well as the preservation of Nigeria’s cultural heritage through films. Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director of NFVCB, said that the initiative was a deliberate effort by the organisation to bridge the gap between classroom experience and the business of film making. Thomas said the programme was in furtherance of the board’s Media Literacy and Mentorship initiatives earlier launched for upcoming industry players, especially Theatre and other Creative Arts undergraduates in Nigerian Universities. He said: “As the key regulator of the Nigerian motion picture industry, NFVCB has decided to bring practical knowledge of how the sector works to these potential filmmakers to secure the future of our movie industry. “We are teaching them classifications and rating of videos and films as well as productive use of social media in order to properly position them for opportunities that abound in the industry. “A lot of these youths are script writers, actors and directors, but there is need to bridge the gap between the classroom knowledge and the industry demands to chart a direction for themselves.” Thomas further said that, under his watch, NFVCB had taken its Media Literacy and Mentorship initiatives to universities across the six-geo political zones. He explained that as the Nigerian movie industry offered more opportunities, there was need to teach undergraduates how to create value and prosperity for themselves from the sector. He said: “Besides the classroom knowledge, our undergraduates must be encouraged to look inward, develop themselves and follow their dreams instead of looking up to the government for everything. “With the right mindset and knowledge, they can become creators of jobs and contribute to our Gross Domestic Product as soon as they leave school.” In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, commended NFVCB and the Department of Theatre and Music for the initiative. The Vice-Chancellor who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the institution, Prof. Olumuyiwa Noah, therefore, urged the students to make good use of the benefits the collaboration offered. He added: “We are proud of this collaboration between the NFVCB and the Theatre Arts and Music department, as we hope to sustain for development of our students.”